1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to wearing apparel intended for protection in a radioactive environment and, more particularly, to single use disposable protective wearing apparel for that purpose.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Radiation workers routinely wear double layers of anti-contamination protective wearing apparel in radiologically controlled areas. Such protective apparel comprises an underlayer of cotton and nylon clothing, usually worn directly over one's underclothes, with an overlayer of protective plastic outerwear.
The underlayer of the protective apparel is typically comprised of cotton and nylon coverails, a cotton or cloth hood, cotton glove liners and latex surgical gloves. The overlayer typically comprises plastic coverails, boots and hood, and rubber gloves and boots to protect the plastic boots and latex gloves from tears and abrasive damage. The degree of protection specified is dictated by anticipated radiological conditions in the work area as noted on Radiation Work Permits routinely issued by attendant radiological control technicians assigned to protect radiation workers. For example, eye goggles, face shields, aprons, lab coats, and the like, may be added to protective clothing requirements as required by work activities, such as filing, sanding, drilling, and the like, which could disturb and dislodge surface contamination deposits thereby posing a potential airborne contamination hazard to radiation workers which would necessitate additional respiratory protection.
Upon completion of work in radiologically controlled areas, radiation workers carefully remove their protective clothing so as to avoid skin contamination during removal. They place the plastic materials in one container designated for direct disposal as radioactive waste, and place cloth materials in another container designated for laundering and decontamination. Then they leave the immediate work area. During protective clothing removal, care is also taken to avoid the possibility for cross-contamination between "contaminated" plastic and rubber overlayer clothing articles and "clean" cloth underlayer articles.
Cotton and nylon fabric materials are normally laundered and decontaminated for reuse. However, fabric materials eventually become unusable for reuse due to wear, damage, or the inability to successfully decontaminate residual radioactive contamination. At that point, the clothing must be bagged in plastic, controlled as low level radioactive waste, compacted, and shipped off-site for permanent disposable at a radioactive waste burial site.
The current laundering operation employs a closed-cycle wash and rinse system to contain the resultant radioactive liquid waste, an industrial dryer adapted with high efficiency particulate air filters to prevent the release of airborne radioactivity to the laundry area, and continuous air sampling and effluent monitoring. In addition, temporary lead shielding must be strategically placed within the laundry room to protect personnel from system radiation hot spots. The operation results in costly radiological monitoring expenses, additional radioactive liquid waste from the wash/rinse cycles, reprocessing of the liquid waste to reduce radioactivity levels, and subsequent solidification prior to shipping off site. Following laundering, the clothing is radiologically screened by radiation technicians to verify decontamination prior to reuse.
Plastic and rubber clothing articles are then directly disposed of as low level radioactive waste following initial use because it is not practical to decontaminate plastic and rubber material. Contaminated plastic and rubber clothing are placed in fifty five gallon steel drums, hydraulically compacted to increase container densities and shipping weights, and transported off-site for permanent burial.
The prior art includes numerous examples of protective garments and fabrics. Typical of these are the patents to Markwell, U.S. Pat. No. 4,860,382 and to Suda, U.S. Pat. No. 4,831,664. In Markwell, the fabric is layered, one ply being a fire retardant woven fabric such as a nylon/modacrylic mixture said to possess good wearing capability. The Suda garment is similarly layered with both inner and outer layers being of synthetic, polymeric/copolymeric plastic material.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,107,373 to Miller discloses a chemical treatment to advantageously impart a flame retardant character to paper and paper products either at the pulp stage or at the finished stage for such products as crepe or tissue paper used for decorative purposes, toweling paper, cardboard, corrugated cardboard, and the like.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,082,707 to Fazio, 3,654,629 to Crisman et al., and 4,304,006 to Swart all disclose disposable items of absorbent material, a disposable beach towel in the first instance, a disposable bib in the second instance, and a disposable garment for use by toddlers in the third instance.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,632,860 issued Dec. 30, 1986 to D'Antonio et al. discloses a waterproof breathable coating applicable to a wide range of types of fabrics intended for prolonged direct contact with the skin.
It was in light of the foregoing prior art that the present invention was conceived and has now been reduced to practice.